Device for use in disinfecting telephone instruments



R. COOPER.

NFECT ING T ELEPHONE INSTRUMENTS. APPLICATION FILEDNOV. I6. 1920.

DEVICE FOR' use m ms:

1,3 1,081. Patented June 7; 1921 FIG. I.

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F -B A 1 C WVf/V/fln? D A' FOlf/ 71 ROBERT coornn, or nonnoiv, ENGLAND.

DEVICE FOR USE IN DISINFECTING TELEPHONE INSTRUMENTS.

Specification of Letters Patent. Patented June 7, 1921;

' Application filed November 16, 1920. Serial No. 424,410.

To all whom it may] concern:

Be it known that I, ROBERT COOPER, a subject of the King of Great Britain, residing at London, England, have invented a new and useful Improved Device for Use in Disinfecting Telephone Instruments, of which the following is a. specification.

This invention relates to an improved device for use in disinfecting telephone instruments, more especially the mouthpieces of telephonic trasrnitters.

Disinfecting devices for telephone mouth pieces and the like have already been suggested wherein there is applied between the ordinary mouth-piece and the diaphragm of a telephone transmitter a tube having radial perforations. ed with internal screw threads which fit over the screw threads of the mouth piece, while the other end of the tube has external screw threads adapted to fit into a socket in the casing of the diaphragm. Around this perforated tube there is fitted a removable box that contains cotton wool or other porous material saturated with liquid antiseptic and is made in two parts which are fitted together and havea central hole in each face to receive the perforated tube.

According to my invention, the cotton wool orlike absorbent material forming the annular pad is arranged in the annular space between retaining cylinders of perforated sheet metal, wire gauze or the like, arranged one within the other whereby the absorbent material is securely retained in position and the pad can be readily removed and replaced in the casing. The casing for receiving the annular pad is provided with suitable supporting surfaces for the pad and may or may not be provided with an internal perforated tube. It preferably has a male thread on one side to engage with the socket in the telephone casing and a female thread on the other, side to receive the male thread on the mouthpiece.

In the accompanying drawing I have shown how my said invention may be conveniently and advantageously carried into practice. In this drawing Figure 1 is a front elevation of a disinfecting device constructed according to my inventlon, and

Fig. 2 a rear elevation thereof, the mouthpiece and transmitter being removed.

Fig. 3 is a longitudinal central section of the device with a mouthpiece fitted thereto.

One end of this tube is form piece F. The'tube A also has near its front end a flange A against which rests an annular disk G provided at its periphery with a cylindrical internally screw-threaded socket H to receive the screw-threaded end of a cylindricalcasing J having an integral rear wall K shaped to fit against the exterior of a telephone transmitter and adapted to abut against a flange L on the rear part of the tube A.

In the annular space in the casing. J, K there is arranged a pad M of cotton wool inclosed between cylinders N, O of perforated sheet metal.

In order to permit the introduction of a fresh supply of volatile disinfectant, the box may be opened and the pad removed and reimpregnated, or if desired replaced by a fresh one. 7

It is obvious, that the box or annular casing for the disinfectant may be constructed and arranged in any other suitable manner. It may moreover be applied to the ear pieces of receivers in an analogous manner.

lVhat I claim is V 1. A device for disinfecting telephones, comprising an annular casing formed of separable members, an annular absorbent pad in said casing, said pad comprising concentric perforated tubes having absorbent material in the annular space between them, means for supporting said pad concentrically in said casing, and means for securing the device to a mouthpiece and to a telephone instrument. I

2. A device for disinfecting telephones, comprising an annular casing formed of separable members, an annular pad in said casing comprising concentric perforated tubes having absorbent material in the annular space between them, a perforated tube in said casing coaxial with said pad and having means for securing it to a mouthpiece and to a telephone instrument, said tube being provided with flanges to support said pad and to abut against the inner faces of said separable members.

3. A device for disinfecting telephones, comprising an annular casing formed of separable members, provided with complemental screw-threads for securing said casinghaving flanges 011 its periphery adapted to members together, an annular pad c0mpr1ssupport salcl annular pad and to abut agamst 10 mg concentric perforated tubes havlng abthe lnner faces of the separable members of sorbent material in the annular space bethe annular casing.

tween themyan axial perforated tube in said 7 ROBERT COOPER. casingand provided wlth means for securing Witnesses: lts opposite ends toa lnouth-plece and to a CONRAD ARNOLD,

telephone instrument, respectively, saicltube I V v P MURIfI-IYQ 

